Safe and Sound
by BBBBGarden Golden
Summary: After staying like that for quite a while,he had pulled away and as a thank you,had hastily placed his lips on hers.The only explanation he gave was that he remembered his father doing that to his mother.Inspired in "The Meaning of her first kiss";


Chapter ONE: The Beginning.

The four-year-old was running as if his life depends on it, tears streaming down his pale cheeks, his bare feet were cut from pieces of wood. The boy was wearing plain black-grey clothes with mesh in the neck, a traditional Hyuuga training outfit. The pearl pupil-less eyes that the Hyuuga were known for were swollen and red, his forehead was covered with bandages and long brown hair tied loosely in the end with a sash.

He even didn't know where he was anymore, he didn't care, all his mind could picture was the body of his father, eyes covered with a white fabric. After that, he just remembered someone screaming his name after he stomped off. He didn't care. The boy didn't know how long he just stayed there, crying; but was already dark when he stopped. Rubbing his eyes and looking around he realized he was lost. Scolding himself for being so stupid, the brunet began to look at the woods in hope to remember in which direction he came, until he heard footsteps approaching.

The Hyuuga was a bit worried, he knew that he had run for quite a length, what would someone this far of the village be doing here this late? He had never heard about a clan property so far, even the Nara district and their giant forest wasn't all that far.

It was just a girl, apparently a year younger than him. She was wearing an elegant dark red kimono with a blue _obi_ that matched wonderfully with her eyes, a dark red hairclip prevented her bangs to fall into her left eye, peach skin and very long blonde hair.

"Are you ok? What's wrong?" her voice was soft, thought a little cold, but her eyes showed curiosity and a little concern when she caught the state of his feet.

The boy glared at her and got back to stare at his feet, which just earned him a raised eyebrow. After a while and sighing he stood up and bowed calmly, she was clearly from a high place in her clan at the very least considering her clothes.

"My name is Hyuuga Neji, I'm sorry to disturb you like that, miss, but I'm afraid I have lost the way for Konoha and would be very thankful if you assist my way back".

If she was surprised by the sudden change in his attitude or his formal and quite developed speech, she didn't show it.

"My name is Keimei and sure, but it's already dark, and quite frankly, if you excuse myself, I really don't feel comfortable going out of my compound so late. If you want, you can pass the night there and tomorrow the Hokage and your guardians will be informed of what happened".

Neji nodded, grateful that he didn't have to walk with his injured feet anymore or spend the night in the forest that surrounded Konoha.

"This way"

They walked for quite a while, the trees more and more abundant, clearly further away from Konoha when finally, Keimei had stopped.

There were walls covering the area, a big arch as a gate with the blue swirl at the middle, acting as a lock. The symbols around it wasn't anything that the boy has seen in his short life, they look like kanji and stretched from the swirl until the very end of the walls, they were everywhere all along the walls, and didn't seem decorative. While they were organized and even beautiful and elegant in a way, he could feel chakra inside it.

Keimei walked into the very front and pressed the doorbell. Jumping a little when the chakra suddenly stirred, the boy half expected to be attacked when the swirl began to spin. Slow and gracefully the black kanji-like marks in the gates flowed backwards and into the swirl, as if it was sucking it away. The marks in the walls stayed in place however.

With a soft "click" noise that shouldn't belong to something as big as Konoha's gates, the heavy metal doors opened to reveal a vast green area. In the moment that the gate was once again closed, the marks appeared again, it was obvious since the same marks were inside as well, and like snakes, they reappeared from the blue swirl.

Three big houses surrounded the biggest one in which is in the limit of the high lowland that the houses were built.

The place was completely devoid of noise or people and Neji found himself wondering if this girl lived by herself, they headed for the biggest house, once inside he had been proved wrong when Keimei shouted quite loud:

"_Obaasan (grandma)"_, there were calm footsteps and an aged woman appeared.

She was also wearing an elegant white kimono with gold _obi (the sash)_, at the back of the obi there it was the blue swirl. She had her hair in two buns that keep her fringe away from her face, the rest was free and fall in middle back, they seemed to at some point possessed a red tint, but know was almost brown thanks to her age. A purple gem adorned her wrinkled forehead. _Zori (casual slippers)_ with _tabi (the socks with fingers) _completed her traditional look. She must be very old, older than his grandpa, he thought looking at her wrinkled face.

Encouraged by her gentle expression, the boy took a step forward and bowed, to his surprise the woman bowed as well, with far more grace and ease that someone at her age should have.

"And who would you be, young one?" her voice was as sweet and as gentle as her appearance.

"He is Hyuuga Neji, he had lost the way back to Konoha".

"Oh, I see, well, Keimei go and prepare a room for him while the dinner is not ready yet, I call when it's finished and tomorrow I help you get to Konoha".

She just nodded and gestured for him to follow her.

"Oh I forgot!" both children turned around for the old woman "My name is Uzumaki Mito", Neji looked a bit amused while Keimei rolled her eyes, but smiled a little.

They walk through the hallways until the blonde stopped and slid one of the screen doors open. As everything else, the room was traditional, big and cozy. Tatami flooring; a large futon in the middle, above it there was a very big blue swirl; twin vases adorned the corners in the room in front of the futon, between them there was a very big wardrobe, a bathroom and a low table parallel to the futon in the door wall, a cushion in front of it. In the table there was a few photos, such as one with Mito and Keimei, a couple with one tall spiky blond haired man and a very beautiful red haired woman, her parents, it was obvious. A few scrolls and pens were scattered here and there. A bookshelf stuffed with more and more scrolls and books beside the table. In the opposite wall there were also sliding doors, most likely to other part of the house. Neji couldn't help but blush a little, this was her room after all.

"This way, Neji-san" Keimei pointed towards the bathroom.

She pulled a small chair below the sink and gestured for him to sit.

Taking out a feel bandages, gazes and what look like lotion from a drawer, Keimei kneed in front of him and began to clean his injured feet, what would make him blush if it wasn't for the fact that he was frozen. As a _Bunke (Branch)_ member, Neji wasn't used to someone (aside from _iriyo-nins (medic ninjas) _simply knee in front of him and treat his wounds, usually it's him in that position. So having this girl, probably from an elite clan considering the area and the compound maybe an heir or from a high position at least considering her clothes kneeing in front of him and cleaning his feet isn't a situation very common to him, and to put it lightly… Neji was shocked.

Feeling his eyes, the blonde raised her head to meet a slack jawed expression. She twisted her lips in amusement, the girl had already met a fair amount of Hyuuga and that was the first time seeing one of them so… un-Hyuuga like, even boys at his age showed quite control over their features, so Keimei was having a hard time holding her laugh. Pity that it didn't last long, Neji seemed to realized what was so funny and immediately schooled his expression.

Cleaning his throat, he said.

"Hn, thanks, Keimei-san".

"You're welcome, Neji-san".

Giggling softly she went back to nursing his feet.

"You can call me just Neji" he said after a while. The shock had wore off and in its place there was a very strange feeling, something between embarrassment and flustered. And there was a feeling in his stomach that had nothing to do with the hunger that he had been suppressing.

Finishing with the bandages and standing up, Keimei offered him a quickly tiny smile.

"So you can call me just Keimei".

Yesterday was interesting, Keimei thought while getting dressed in a plain dark orange kimono with white obi. It was a little refreshing to meet someone who did not know who she is. Usually, the ones who visit the Uzumaki compound, always had three purposes, either:

One: Because of the advanced seals, that just her grandma in the entire village knows how to make (for security, accidents or whatever, there are seals for almost everything that a person can think of, most don't give them a second thought just because they are hard to do – the most difficult ninja art).

Two: Important matters that or Mito or she would have to be attending. As the last known Uzumaki, a very important clan, two heirs no less, there are political business that other clan heads or their messengers needs their opinions about.

Three: Marriage issues. The Elders are well informed that the powers and knowledge of a well trained Uzumaki are almost unbeatable. Thought they can't say the same about them. Mito was almost a 96 years old, thanks to her clan's longevity, she will live more, much more than that. However, is obvious that Mito was not as strong as she once was. Keimei was just three year old, not even barely reaching the potential that she has, so they already have informed, behind the Hokage's back of Keimei's and Mito's association with the past Hokages. Even thought the heads had swore to keep the presence of the Uzumaki Ichizoku in Konoha well concealed, that didn't prevent them to "introduce" good suitors, shinobis of course, among their clan for the young Uzumaki.

However, when she was in the village, the civilian would always be with this looks. The cold, hatred and indifference, the clan heads don't just stroll around the village, all of them had paperwork to do, not as much as the Hokage, thought. Either way, the majority of the population just know her like the "Kyuubi no gaki", "demon", "monster" etc, it was not easy, that's why she really didn't feel like going to Konoha's downtown if she could avoid it; leaving the only place where she feel welcomed: the Uzumaki compound.

"_Ohayo (Good morning)_, Keimei-chan".

"_Ohayo_, obaasan"

"Well, I'm going to get Neji to Konoha, make sure to study the seal that I showed you yesterday that we're going to train a little more when I get back"

"Ok"

Keimei sighed, the girl had notice the red and swollen eyes and the track the tears had made in his cheeks, but refrained from comment anything despite that her curiosity was almost suffocating her. After she had bandaged his feet, the blonde opened the next _shoji (sliding screen doors)_, the only differences between this one and her own room was that the bookshelf, wardrobe and the table were empty and the walls were a light cream coloring, very plain, obviously a guest room.

She had taken the futon out the wardrobe and laid it. The very next day her grandma asked if she could check on Neji and tell him that breakfast was ready and after that they were going back to Konoha, the silence in the guest room was deafening; Keimei broke it asking very bluntly the reason why he was crying in the middle of nowhere the day before. Neji glared to cover his surprise, she really isn't like Hinata-sama, he thought. He decided to keep silent… until the boy realized that the blonde was giving him the "non stop talking until the person crack" treatment. There were so many words! She was mostly silent until now, so it was a little racking how much she could talk in one breath! In the end, Neji had told her about the Hyuuga and his father.

While Keimei was aware of the various clans that composed Konoha and could superficially tell what their expertise was, she wasn't very knowledge concerning each clan's politic separately. The Uzumaki didn't know what to do, she had very little experience how to comfort a person. When she was down, she didn't want to talk or being all touchy and stuff, Mito knew that brushing her hair in a silent, caring and calmly way was the best way to sooth her, but the blonde highly doubt that this would work in this case, she has to at least try. So she awkwardly put her arms around him in a hug, soon enough the tears that were interrupted this evening were trailing down.

After staying like that for quite a while, he had pulled away and as a thank you, had hastily placed his lips on hers. The only explanation he gave was that he remembered his father doing that to his mother.

The Hyuuga compound was one of the largest in all Konoha, the only one that can rival its size would be the Uchiha district, but then again, the Uchiha had civilians among them while the Hyuuga were all trained in ninja arts.

Hyuuga Hiashi was at the elegant and unguarded gates, robbery was highly unlikely in a clan compound where all members older than three could see a 50 meter area and have 360º field of vision. The older Hyuuga bowed when he recognized Mito, the aged woman returning the gesture.

"I'm very thankful for your hospitality towards Neji, Mito-sama"

"It was my pleasure, actually" smiling a bit at Neji's direction.

"I'm sorry for any problems that I might have caused", with this, it would only be years later that the young Hyuuga would meet any of them.


End file.
